When asked what is his favourite building of the Century, architect Sir Norman Foster offered the 747 the Jumbo has since carried 2.2 billion people: 40% of the world's population.

But the 747 has almost seen its day with the advent of more fuel-efficient and larger aviation workhorses such as the A380 and leaner, meaner machines in an era when operators need to save air-Dollars. Ten-year-old passenger 747-400s are worth a record low $36 million, about 10 percent less than...more »

When asked what is his favourite building of the Century, architect Sir Norman Foster offered the 747 the Jumbo has since carried 2.2 billion people: 40% of the world's population.

But the 747 has almost seen its day with the advent of more fuel-efficient and larger aviation workhorses such as the A380 and leaner, meaner machines in an era when operators need to save air-Dollars. Ten-year-old passenger 747-400s are worth a record low $36 million, about 10 percent less than similar aged planes last year, according to Ascend Worldwide Ltd., amid high fuel costs and a cargo slump that has damped interest in converting aircraft into freighters. Forty-eight of the 404 humpbacked passenger 747-400s worldwide have also been placed in storage, according to the London-based aviation consultancy, as the once "Queen of the Skies" is shunned for 777s and Airbus SAS A380s.

"There's not a lot of demand for the 747," said Paul Sheridan, Ascend's Hong Kong-based head of risk analysis. "They're mostly being broken up for parts."« less